To coincide with "Shochu Day" on November 1, Oita Prefecture is opening a limited-time antenna shop selling shochu, sake, and other products from breweries on the Kunisaki Peninsula, running from Sunday, November 1 through Monday, November 30, 2026, in the Gift Pad Space on the second floor of KITTE Osaka.
A special event day is also planned for Saturday, November 7. The shop will sell shochu and sake, along with kabosu-citrus liqueurs and plum wine, processed foods such as confections and seasonings, and soft drinks.
Oita's Kunisaki Peninsula is known as the birthplace of shinbutsu-shugo, the practice of worshipping Shinto kami and Buddhist deities together without distinction. Blessed with rich nature and history, it is also a region dotted with distinctive sake breweries. To mark the opening of this limited-time antenna shop, here's a look at the appeal of the sake nurtured by Kunisaki's breweries, along with a guide to this "land of prayer" worth visiting in the harvest season of autumn.
Kunisaki's Sake Breweries Come to KITTE Osaka
Event period: November 1 (Sun) to November 30 (Mon), 2026 (Special event day: November 7, Sat)
Venue: Gift Pad Space, 2F KITTE Osaka
Planned items: Shochu, sake, kabosu-citrus liqueurs, plum wine, confections and seasonings, soft drinks
Participating breweries: Minami Shuzo (Kunisaki City, Oita), Kayashima Shuzo (Kunisaki City, Oita), and others
The Kunisaki Peninsula is a region where sake-making draws deeply on its rich nature and local character. Minami Shuzo, a shochu brewery in Aki-machi, Kunisaki City that has continued for 160 years, produces barley shochu "Toppai," "喜納屋," and "Seki no Shita," as well as a craft gin line, the "Oni to..." series, which distills the botanicals of the Kunisaki landscape into each bottle. Run by sisters — toji (master brewer) Rumi and managing director Sayaka, who took over the brewery together — each bottle is themed around one of Kunisaki's local specialties, such as shichito-i rush, chomeiso (a coastal herb), rose, or oyster.
Meanwhile, Kayashima Shuzo (Kunisaki-machi, Kunisaki City), founded in 1873 (Meiji 6), is the maker of Nishinoseki, one of Oita's representative sake brands. For more than 150 years, the brewery has pursued sake that complements Kunisaki's food culture.
This autumn, these prized sakes from Kunisaki are coming to Osaka. To coincide with "Shochu Day" on November 1, a limited-time antenna shop will open in the Gift Pad Space on the second floor of KITTE Osaka.
The Story of the Birthplace: Where Faith Began
1. Futagoji Temple (Kunisaki City)
Futagoji Temple stands on the slopes of Mt. Futago, the highest peak on the Kunisaki Peninsula, and holds head-temple status within the Rokugo Manzan network of temples. The Nio guardian statues at its approach are said to be the largest on the peninsula, and touching their feet is believed to bring the blessing of strong legs. Climbing the stone steps to the inner sanctuary leads to a sacred site long visited for prayers for children. The temple grounds have also been selected as one of Japan's 100 Best Forest Bathing Sites, and the autumn leaves typically reach their peak from around mid-November.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 1548 Futago, Aki-machi, Kunisaki City, Oita |
| Access | About 30 minutes by car from Aki IC (free parking) |
| Hours | 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Lecture hall and inner sanctuary until 4:00 PM) |
| Admission | ¥300 |
| Contact | Futagoji Temple: 0978-65-0253 / Kunisaki City Tourism Association: 0978-72-5173 |
2. Monjusenji Temple (Kunisaki City)
Monjusenji Temple is one of the "Three Great Monju Temples of Japan" and is said to be the birthplace of the proverb "three heads are better than one" (literally, "three people together have the wisdom of Monju"). Because it enshrines Monju Bosatsu, the bodhisattva of wisdom, it draws visitors from within and beyond the prefecture praying for academic success and exam passes. Its main hall, the Okunoin Monjudo, is the oldest structure on the grounds, retaining its Edo-period appearance through repeated restorations. The jagged peaks surrounding the temple, known as Monju Yaba, are also a well-known spot for autumn leaves.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 2432 Daionji, Kunisaki-machi, Kunisaki City, Oita |
| Access | About 40 minutes by car from Aki IC |
| Hours | 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Admission | Free |
| Contact | Monjusenji Temple: 0978-74-0820 / Kunisaki City Tourism Association: 0978-72-5173 |
The Legend of Demons Turned Buddhas: Stone Buddhas and Mountain Trails
3. Kumano Magaibutsu (Bungotakada City)
Kumano Magaibutsu is one of Japan's largest cliff-carved Buddhist images, found at the top of a roughly 100-step rock staircase said to have been built by a demon in a single night. Carved into the cliff face are an approximately 8-meter Fudo Myoo and a roughly 7-meter Dainichi Nyorai, whose imposing presence leaves many visitors awestruck. Designated as a National Important Cultural Property and Historic Site, the site remains a living place of prayer today, one where everything there seems to hold a spirit of its own.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 2546-3 Tashibu Hirano, Bungotakada City, Oita |
| Access | About 40 minutes by car from Usa IC (free parking) |
| Hours | 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (winter season, November to March: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM) |
| Admission | High school age and up: ¥500 / Elementary and junior high school: ¥150 |
| Contact | Kumano Magaibutsu Information Center: 0978-26-2070 |
4. Kunisaki Peninsula Minemichi Long Trail (Kunisaki City / Bungotakada City)
Namiishi Dam
Former Sento-ji Temple ruins
Source: Kunisaki Peninsula Minemichi Long Trail course guide
Course guide: K = Kunisaki Course / T = Bungotakada Course
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 2662-1 Obaru, Kunisaki-machi, Kunisaki City, Oita (inside Michi-no-Eki Kunisaki) |
| Access | About 20 minutes by car from Aki IC |
| Hours | Open for walking anytime |
| Fee | Free (paid guide available) |
| Contact | Kunisaki Peninsula Minemichi Long Trail Guide Desk (inside the Kunisaki City Tourism Association): 0978-72-5173 |
Savor the Harvest Season with All Five Senses: 1. Autumn Scenery
5. Tashibu-no-sho (Bungotakada City)
The Ozaki district of Tashibu-no-sho has been passed down since medieval times as a manor of Usa Jingu Shrine, an almost miraculous rural landscape that has escaped the waves of development. It has been designated a National Important Cultural Landscape and recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. In September, the rice ears ripen to a golden color and red spider lilies bloom along the paddy paths, giving the area its most "autumn" look of the year.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 2596 Tashibu Ozaki, Bungotakada City, Oita |
| Access | About 40 minutes by car from Usa IC |
| Hours | Open for walking anytime |
| Fee | Free |
| Contact | Shoen no Sato Promotion Committee Secretariat: 0978-26-2168 |
6. Chouanji Temple (Bungotakada City)
Chouanji Temple is said to have been founded in 718 by the bodhisattva Ninmon and serves as one of the Nakayama head temples of the Rokugo Manzan network. Also known as the "Temple of Flowers," it is well known as a spot for rhododendrons and autumn leaves. Its treasure hall houses the Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property statue of Taroten, and the autumn foliage, which typically peaks from around mid-November, colors the temple's quiet grounds.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 635 Kareigawa, Bungotakada City, Oita |
| Access | About 40 minutes by car from Usa IC |
| Hours | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (open for walking anytime) |
| Fee | High school age and up: ¥300 / Elementary and junior high school: ¥150 (includes viewing the Taroten statue hall) |
| Contact | Chouanji Temple: 0978-27-3842 |
Savor the Harvest Season with All Five Senses: 2. Taste Autumn's Bounty
7. Toinryo Sabo Sangaiya (Kunimi-machi, Kunisaki City)
Octopus rice set meal (¥1,320, tax included)
Kunisaki himedako octopus grows in the fierce currents of the Iyonada Sea, giving it thick, short legs, a crunchy texture, and rich flavor. Toinryo Sabo Sangaiya serves an octopus rice set meal made with himedako octopus — rice cooked to a faint pink color, topped with octopus cut into easy-to-eat pieces with good chew and rich flavor.
8. Gintachi no Sato (Kunisaki-machi, Kunisaki City)
Tachi-ju cutlassfish rice box (¥1,500, tax included)
The branded fish "Kunisaki Gintachi" is a cutlassfish prized for its firm texture and rich fat content. At Gintachi no Sato, the restaurant inside Michi-no-Eki Kunisaki, the menu ranges from its signature "Tachi-ju" cutlassfish rice box to cutlassfish sushi and cutlassfish curry.
Savor the Harvest Season with All Five Senses: 3. Explore the Autumn Countryside
9. Kunisaki Cycling Route (Kunisaki City)
マネーき猫公園
Konpira Rock
Source: Kunisaki Cycling Road Map
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 2662-1 Obaru, Kunisaki-machi, Kunisaki City, Oita (inside Michi-no-Eki Kunisaki) |
| Access | About 20 minutes by car from Aki IC |
| Hours | 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Fee | Rental cycle: Adults ¥500 / High school age and under ¥300 |
| Contact | Kunisaki City Tourism Association: 0978-72-5173 |
Featured spots
